The first storefront marketplace project will return to Lahaina’s Front Street this fall. ʻUlu o Lele is an interim retail and community gathering space under development. The goal is to help bring local businesses back to the area while permanent commercial rebuilding moves forward.
The marketplace will host between 25 to 50 local vendors. The $8 million project is a partnership between Maui County, nonprofits Hawaiian Council and the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, and it will be guided by community members.
“I think Lahaina heals best when we're all together,” said Courtney Lazo, a Lahaina small business owner, in a July 2 press conference. “When we heard about this amazing project, for me as a community member, it got me really excited, and I think there's something really exciting for our community, because we can use this as a piko, some place where our families can come and share a meal together, or go and grab coffee. When I see this project, that's what I think of. I think of, can we go back to like that village and that sense of community, where we can see each other and catch up for a meal and listen to ʻono music and support local businesses.”
ʻUlu o Lele means “Growth of Lele,” which honors the pre-17th century name for Lahaina, "Lele."
“ʻUlu o Lele is intended to help meet the needs of [Lahaina] businesses, and we've lost many already, so it's a beginning effort to bring energy, to bring hope, to help families and businesses to start feeling a degree of normalcy in Lahaina,” said Kūhiō Lewis, CEO of Hawaiian Council, during the press conference.
Lewis said the marketplace would include a stage for nightly entertainment and live music, food trucks that would serve local flavors, and a mix of retail businesses.
“Rents are extremely cheap to support families. They range from $800 a month to $1,500 a month, depending on the size of the unit. They all have solar power, so they're self-sufficient,” said Lewis.
Hawaiian Council is leading the two-year project at the former Outlets of Maui property. ʻUlu o Lele is expected to open in September.
“I really just think that as a local business, this represents hope,” said Lazo.
